Ristretto | On the Road

Last week I was in Ithaca, N.Y. Because the town is home to Gimme! Coffee, the question I always ask myself when I’m about to go on a trip — where will I get coffee? — was answered before I had mapped out the route on my iPhone.

It’s dicey in small towns. If I’m on a road trip, I’ll stick a bottle of cold-brew coffee concentrate in the cooler. Last year, I ran out when I was in a part of West Virginia so backcountry there weren’t any diners, and one morning I found myself in a convenience store choosing between a Red Bull and a can of sweetened coffee from a company best known for cornering the cinnamon-bun market.

And it can be tricky in some cosmopolitan cities that should have great coffee, like Madrid or Vienna. When battling jet lag, I don’t sweat it if the coffee’s not mind-blowing, as long as the experience is historic, or architectural, or gives me a glimpse of how others start their days — like in Paris, where a glass of beer or wine is also an early morning drink.

I pack light, which means I don’t travel with a hand-cranked grinder, some beans and an Aeropress (even if it does come with a zippered nylon bag). I’m devoted, but I’m not a fanatic. Not yet.